Leading police officer calls for legalisation of drugs

A call by one of the country’s most senior police officers to legalise hard
drugs has been rejected by his colleagues.

Durham chief constable Mike Barton, claimed the war on drugs had failed and said decriminalisation was the best way to wrestle power away from criminal gangs.

Chief Constable Barton suggested the NHS should supply class-A drugs such as heroin and cocaine to addicts, suggesting this would stop them having to go out and commit crime in order to buy illegal narcotics.

Writing in the Observer he said: “Not all crime gangs raise income through selling drugs, but most of them do in my experience.

"So offering an alternative route of supply to users cuts off the gang's income stream.

"If an addict were able to access drugs via the NHS or some similar organisation, then they would not have to go out and buy illegal drugs.

The officer, who has served for nearly 34 years, said he had witnessed a worsening drug addiction problem since prohibition began in 1971 with the Misuse of Drugs Act.

He argued that pushers had made billions from adulterated drugs, transforming them into local folk heroes for young people.

"Decriminalising their commodity will immediately cut off their income stream and destroy their power," he said.

"Making drugs legal would tackle the supply chain much more effectively and much more economically than we can currently manage."

Mr Barton said that offering drugs therapeutically through the NHS and similar organisations would avoid the spread of HIV and hepatitis C among needle users.

But he underlined that he was in favour of their use in a controlled environment, rather than a "free for all".

"I am saying that people who encourage others to take drugs by selling them are criminals, and their actions should be tackled," he said.

"But addicts, on the other hand, need to be treated, cared for and encouraged to break the cycle of addiction. They do not need to be criminalised."

But his comments were not supported by his colleagues within the Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO).

Andy Bliss, the Chief Constable of Hertfordshire, who is the ACPO lead on drug related crime said: “Recent evidence suggests that, overall; drug misuse in the UK is falling.

”However, government policy on drugs enforcement is very clear and unambiguous and our job as police officers is to enforce the law.

“Clearly, a senior colleague like Mike Barton is entitled to his views and he has added his contribution to the national debate, but it would be ACPO’s position that these are matters for parliament to decide.”